Cambridge a Compás presents Omayra Amaya Flamenco Dance Company in VIVENCIAS
Company:
Omayra Amaya Flamenco Dance Company
Cambridge a Compás presents Omayra Amaya Flamenco Dance Company in VIVENCIAS on Friday, October 30 & Saturday, October 31 at 8PM, and Sunday, November 1 at 5PM, at The Foundry, 101 Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA 02142. Tickets start at $40 and can be purchased online here.
VIVENCIAS brings together powerful dance, live music, and song in a performance that explores the experiences, memories, and artistic expression at the heart of flamenco.
The performance features Omayra Amaya, dancer, choreographer, and artistic director; Roberto Castellón, flamenco guitarist and composer; Manuel Gago, flamenco singer; and Diego Alvarez on percussion.
Running Time: 75 minutes, no intermission
Audience Advisory: This production is appropriate for all ages
“Mesmerizing...intense...even erotic...splendid...I dare anyone to take his or her eyes off Omayra Amaya when she’s performing the flamenco she was born to dance.” Debra Cash, The Boston Globe
Premier Gala Reception
Following the premiere of VIVENCIAS, we invite you to an elegant Gala Reception celebrating an extraordinary evening of flamenco at its finest.
This exclusive gathering offers a unique opportunity to meet the performers, hear the stories behind the production, and share in the energy and emotion that make flamenco one of the world’s most captivating art forms. Enjoy a complimentary glass of wine and light refreshments while connecting with the artists. A perfect finale to an unforgettable evening.
Cambridge a Compás brings two weeks of flamenco arts and cultural programming to Cambridge and surrounding communities. The festival features performances with guest artists from Spain, flamenco dance and guitar workshops for students of all levels, introductory dance workshops open to the public, and free lecture-demonstrations for the community.
Cambridge a Compás is made possible with the support of the Cambridge Community Foundation.
Omayra Amaya is a modern flamenco dancer and choreographer deeply rooted in gypsy
tradition. Daughter of flamenco dancers Olga and Curro Amaya and grandniece of the
legendary Carmen Amaya. Omayra began at an early age performing with her parents'
company. Her first choreographed role at age twelve was as her father's partner. By fifteen, she
was touring internationally with various companies. Omayra attended the Boston Conservatory
and received a BFA in Dance. As a student, Omayra performed with numerous choreographers
such as Ana Sokolow, Ann Marie Forsyth, and Jennifer Scanlon. Omayra founded the Omayra
Amaya Flamenco Dance Company, Inc. in 1994. The same year, she became a faculty member at Boston Conservatory, Boston Ballet, Harvard-Radcliffe Dance Department, and Walnut Hill
Performing Arts School. She directed and performed a critically acclaimed nine-month run show
at the Boston Park Plaza, garnering national media attention and inspiring a PBS documentary
and a film, Gypsy Heart, by Jocelyn Ajami. Omayra was also the inspiration for two Spanish
documentaries by Canal Plus, Spain, and TVE Cataluña in 2000 and 2001. She's also an integral
part of the award-winning documentary Queen of the Gypsies, the most comprehensive
portrait of Carmen Amaya. In 2004, collaborations with Director and Choreographer Lynn
Taylor Colbert, off-Broadway project Deep Song, and from 2006-2007, she was one of the
choreographers working alongside Director Franco Dragone and Sarah Miles on the musical
Carmen, which premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in the summer of 2007. In 2007, Omayra
performed at the Lincoln Center Summer Arts Festival in the world premiere of Slow Dancing,
a multi-channel video installation directed by David Michalek. In 2008, Omayra created La
Sobremesa, a show that transformed the traditional setting of flamenco, receiving multiple
awards, including a proclamation by the city of Miami declaring August 15 as “Omayra Amaya
Day” and recognition from the city of Matti Herrera and the city of Miami Beach. In 2008,
Omayra performed a duet with Steve Martin in the Hollywood film The Pink Panther II. In
April 2013, she collaborated with the New York Philharmonic, presenting Manuel De Falla at
Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. In 2013, she was featured in a new series of Jueves
Flamenco performances at The Players Theatre in New York City; the show spanned from May
through July. 2009 to 2018, Omayra Amaya Flamenco Dance Company toured China’s stages
with critically acclaimed sold-out performances and workshops in Hong Kong, Beijing,
Shanghai, and Chongqing. In 2018, Omayra presented the show La Sobremesa at Gala Hispanic
Theater in Washington, DC. In 2020, she returned to Gala Theater for INTIMO, a show about the
pandemic of 2020. The performance was streamed from December 15, 2020, to January 31,
2021. In 2021, Omayra debuted Ritmo del Tiempo at The Moss Center in Miami, FL. 2022
Residencies in Boston, NYC, and Miami with workshops and performances. In February 2023,
Omayra presented Velada Flamenca. In October 2023, she performed with The Daniel Lewis
Dance Sampler, a show featuring Florida's 10 best dance companies and choreographers.
In November 2023, she premiered in Boston: Tiempo Flamenco, a show featuring 11 women dancers, a production showcasing their strength and contributions to society. January 2025 began with the new production Antes Del Finin Cambridge, MA at https:/www.arrowstarts.org. A thought-provoking work about the weight of life and the search for balance in an imbalanced world.
Roberto Castellon, Flamenco Guitarist, Composer & Luthier, began his flamenco career as a child, performing with his father before beginning formal guitar studies at age eight. He later
studied with flamenco guitarist Manolo Barón and was deeply influenced by legendary artists
including Sabicas, Paco de Lucía, and Camarón de la Isla. At nineteen, Castellon joined the
company of José Greco, launching an international career that has taken him throughout the
United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America. He has collaborated with leading
flamenco artists and companies including María Benítez, Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana,
María Serrano, Andrés Marín, Rafael Campallo, Miguel Ortega, and Omayra Amaya.
A respected composer and musical director, Castellon has created original scores for numerous
flamenco dance and theater productions, including La Sobremesa, INTIMO, Ritmo del Tiempo,
Antes del Fin, and Velada Flamenca. He released his debut CD, La Guitarra, in 2002 and
performed with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center in 2013. Since becoming a luthier
in 2008, Castellon has crafted and performed exclusively on his own guitars.
Manuel Gago was born in Cádiz to a family of flamenco singers. He began singing at the young
age of five, and by fourteen years old he was singing in flamenco festivals with such well-known
singers as Juan Villar, 'Chano' Lobato and 'Rancapino'. At only 15 years old, he was presented
with the award Primer Premio Nacional de Alegrías de Cádiz. Later on, he began singing for
dancers, including Joaquín Cortés, Sara Baras, Rafaela Carrasco, Belén Maya, 'El Güito',
'Manolete', Javier Barón, Cristóbal Reyes, and Soledad Barrio Noche Flamenca. Manuel has
traveled the world, singing throughout Europe, Asia, North and South America, and the Middle
East. He has also released two CD's titled Diversidad and Vallejondo.
Diego Alvarez, is a master cajón player born in Venezuela. He lived 16 years in Spain, where he
developed his career alongside the most prestigious flamenco dance companies such as Joaquin
Cortes, Antonio Canales, Sara Baras, Nuevo Ballet Español and Paco Peña among others. With
more than 12 nominations to the Latin Grammys, winner of a Latin Grammy in 2010 for best
Rock album of the year for Sera by La Vida Boheme. Promoting El Cajon as a universal
instrument, showing its main roots in Peruvian and flamenco. He now lives in Los Angeles
California, where he continues working with different musical projects between flamenco and
jazz.
The Omayra Amaya Flamenco Dance Company performs all over the world under the artistic direction of Omayra Amaya. Founded in Boston, MA, in 1994, the company is grounded in flamenco’s centuries-old rhythms, traditional structure, and deep emotions, yet also stretches to embrace world music and Jazz, innovative staging, and modern movement. Critics have hailed Omayra Amaya’s choreography as “mesmerizing,” “intense,” and “stylish” and described the company’s world-class dancers, singers, and musicians as having “a knock-your-socks-off synergy.”
For more information, visit http://www.omayraamaya.com/.
